Rabbittown to ring in Easter early with Saturday parade

Easter is coming up April 12, but before that comes the Rabbittown Easter Parade.

Led by the motorcycle unit of the Hall County Sheriff’s Office, the march is set for 10 a.m. Saturday, starting from the Bell-Minor nursing home and finishing at the Stone Masonic Lodge on Dana Drive.

Those taking part in the parade can line up at 9 a.m. at Bell-Minor. The sheriff’s office will close the route for the parade at 9:45 a.m.

Parking is available at area stores and White Sulphur Elementary School.

Organizers will decide at 9 a.m. Saturday if the parade will go as planned. If it is postponed due to inclement weather, the rain date is next Saturday, April 4.

If you don’t want to watch the parade, the suggested alternate routes for passing through Rabbittown are Joe Chandler Road to bypass to the north, and White Sulphur Road to bypass to the south, said Jeff Shoemaker, a member of the Stone Masonic Lodge No. 715. The lodge is coordinating the parade again this year.

The parade itself will feature the talents of East Hall High School and others. "The East Hall High School marching band provides the music," Shoemaker said.

Other entertainment found in the parade will include the East Hall ROTC and the lights and sirens of the Hall County Fire Services and the sheriff’s office.

"The whole community is involved," Sheriff’s Sgt. Kiley Sargent said.

Also making a reappearance this year is Marshall Kinsey, 87, a well-known fixture in the annual event.

"He is the unofficial mayor of Rabbittown, and he is always the parade marshal," Shoemaker said. "He is a good-hearted gentleman."

While the parade is free, watching a parade just isn’t the same without a few tasty treats.

L&A Variety will sell "country" snacks and East Hall band boosters will sell hot dogs and drinks. Cotton candy and boiled peanuts also will be offered at concession stands located in the parking lot of the Rabbittown Café.

"The Lanier Shriners Club will be there, you know, old men in Cadillacs, and with their Shriners, too," Shoemaker said. "And some of the area churches have walkers (in the parade)."